OUR OPINION: Governments need to open up and let the sun shine in

The headlines this week on the Quincy Public Works Commissioner Daniel Raymondi illegally burning public records – in barrels – after work hours – in the DPW lot – ranged from the jaw-dropping to the absurd.

EDITORIAL – Sunshine Week could not come soon enough. The headlines this week on Quincy Public Works Commissioner Daniel Raymondi illegally burning public records – in barrels after work hours in the DPW lot – ranged from jaw-dropping to absurd. Raymondi destroyed years worth of records without first seeking approval from the Massachusetts secretary of state’s office, as required by law. When our reporter couldn’t reach Raymondi for comment, he spoke with Mayor Tom Koch’s spokesman, who assured him the DPW did have the state’s permission and that burning the documents was a less expensive alternative to shredding the them. None of that proved true. Raymondi has since apologized.

“I’ll spank myself,” Raymondi said with a smile. “The lesson is learned.”

Is it?

Those headlines were rivaled only by the one out of West Bridgewater where neither the town nor a former police officer will release the terms of a 2011 settlement agreement between the two parties – even though such agreements can’t be kept secret because they involve public employees and public funds. The case revolves around a lawsuit former police officer Thomas Richmond filed in federal court in June 2010, accusing the town of various violations.

At this point, it appears that in both instances all parties were acting out of sheer ignorance of the law. But that’s little comfort.

Now in its ninth year, Sunshine Week is a national effort to draw attention to the importance of open government and freedom of information. Our goal when it comes to government at every level is transparency.

Though we continually seek information about how our government works – or doesn’t – you, the public, should know you too can take advantage of these laws to learn more about the issues you care about in your communities.

One of the best tools you have for maintaining an open government is the federal Freedom of Information Act. Anyone can file a request for information under this statute. The government cannot ignore it. You may not get all the information you seek, but you won’t get much of anything if you don’t fight for it.

It’s what we and various other media groups have used to force the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to reveal its process for awarding 20 provisional medical marijuana licenses. Without it, the public wouldn’t have learned about all of the political jockeying, misrepresentations and various sundry shenanigans associated with it. As a result, Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo and others are calling for a complete do-over.

Quincy and West Bridgewater would do well to observe their own Sunshine Weeks. Quincy Mayor Tom Koch and Town Administrator David Gagne should implement workshops for all town employees, with an emphasis on department heads, to review state regulations on public documents and open meetings. Each head must ensure a mechanism for each department to follow before destroying public records and whenever there’s a question about the public’s right to know. In fact, we would recommend this to every municipality.

Page 2 of 2 - In the meantime, we want to hear from you. We want to know if you’ve ever had a problem with a town or city meeting, or gaining access to public documents. Email us at editpage@ledger.com and share your story.

Remember, government is there to work for you. And we are here to ensure it does.